Nobody was cheering for Sun TV harder than me when Kory Teneycke announced that he was in charge of establishing Canada’s newest media network but my euphoria has steadily evaporated with these announced hirings.
The first red flag for me was when David Akin was hired (see here). This is a guy who links Margaret Atwood on his news aggregate even though she signed an anti-Sun TV petition (see here).
Next was the hiring of Warren Kinsella (see here and here).
And now, Stephen Taylor confirms that Krista Erickson has been signed on (see here). Erickson was the reporter caught feeding questions to Liberal MP Pablo Rodriguez and is now Con MP Lee Richard’s girlfriend. Both ethics complaints were swept under the carpet by the CBC (see here and here).
Betcha CBC Poohbah Jennifer McGuire is kicking herself now. I know I am for hoping and believing that Canada’s media might actually be changing.
October 21, 2010 at 1:07 PM
We sure as Hell do not need anoher leftie TV news channel.
But that’s what we’re going to get.
October 21, 2010 at 1:10 PM
SunTV — epic fail. I withdraw my support.
October 21, 2010 at 1:16 PM
“…..my euphoria has steadily evaporated….”
Mine too. I sort of expected this.
This network will obsess over avoiding being an “American style Fox News” and to avoid this label they will give a larger than necessary voice to the left. The fact that the left has all other news organizations who cater to them is ignored. The fact that the left will call the network “Fox North” no matter how hard the network tries to avoid being called that.
This new network that started out as a supposedly conservative slanted news organization will dilute itself out of existance.
much the same as the Conservative Party of Canada.
October 21, 2010 at 1:18 PM
David Akin has done nothing but gush over Iggy. Kinsella will probably sound more critical of Iggy at this rate.
I believe Mike Duffy’s tell all book will come before television with a view to the right.
October 21, 2010 at 1:39 PM
Well, if they turn out to be just another left-leaning news channel they won’t likely survive the year.
If they do go that route, I know I’ll cancel my subscription faster than a CBC executive cashes a federal government funding check.
October 21, 2010 at 3:14 PM
With an election likely in the spring,
we will all be glued to SunTV, because that’s where the CPC storys will be.
SunTV will be setting the agenda!
We were promised reporting from a conservative point of view, we will get it.
Ezra vs Spinsella will be most entertaining.
October 21, 2010 at 3:20 PM
This station won’t survive unless conservative minded Canadians support it. Based on what we see so far, clearly we have no reason to do so. Poof! problem solved. Nothing gained, but nothing lost either.
October 21, 2010 at 3:21 PM
o/t
we also need a conservative news aggrigator.
NationalNewsWatch is in the LPC back pocket.
New refugee rules come out, buried,
look at what NNW pick, faux scandal, any story that creates a negative impression on the govt.
Adrian gave it a whirl, but being on west coast time is a real detriment.
Anyone (team of cpc supporters) out there in the East up to the challenge?
October 21, 2010 at 3:24 PM
Yes, it’s a lot of work and definitely at a disadvantage out West here
October 21, 2010 at 3:22 PM
I have been shaking my head ever since it was announced, that David Akin was hired-on, but now it’s starting to spin. I’m fed up with seeing these new hirees on the other stations and now I have to see probably even more on Sun News. I’m really disappointed so early in the game, but it just goes to show you how shallow our political commentator’s pool really is. I’m not all that surprised, I was kind of expecting this. I think Sun News has decided to go with the status quo instead of searching for new talent. They are doomed for failure unless they start thinking outside the box. My advice would be to get some new blood or I’ll end up sticking with Fox News.
October 21, 2010 at 7:17 PM
Agreed. Two months ago I would have subscribed without hesitation, but I’m already paying to watch idiots like Kinsella on the CBC, there is no way I will pay them again to watch them on SunTV. Bad move SunTV, bad move.
October 21, 2010 at 3:46 PM
Isn’t there a requirement in Canadian broadcasting that they have to broadcast a balanced point of view? That is, you have to give both sides of the argument an equal voice. I hear it all the time even on conservative talk radio.
It could be that they are loading up on talent that would make this balance possible at least in terms of getting their broadcast licence.
And maybe even in terms of getting the mandatory carriage that they initially sought.
I think this is a bit of a trojan horse to get past the CRTC.
And maybe you guys are over reacting a little bit.
Consider that even if fifty percent of SunTV was conservative leaning it would be a hundred percent more conservative than any other msm outlet in Canada.
As Saddam said on South Park, ‘Relax Guys!’
October 21, 2010 at 4:28 PM
This Sun TV thingy sounds less Fox North and more CBC-Lite…how long before Peladeau sniffs around for our money?…cue the Jeopardy jingle.
October 22, 2010 at 1:10 AM
I like the ‘wait & see’ attitude for this station. I have mostly tuned out of daily news. Lord knows I wrote to Steven Harper many years ago to say, ‘Sorry, but this won’t change until you have your own TV network’. That was not meant to create a Conservative mouthpiece, but at least equal time. The damage that has been done by socialist persuasion will not be soon undone.
October 22, 2010 at 6:11 AM
In light of the NPR/Juan Williams story, maybe the Government will take a serious look at the vile, rabidly, anti-Conservative CBC and put a stop to the colossal waste of taxpayer funds, going to support the left wing agenda of the CBC. Oh, wait I must be dreaming. I did however have high hopes for SunTV, but if they do not model themselves after the hugely popular and successful FOX, then I see no need to switch from FOX, at all.
October 22, 2010 at 6:44 AM
Right or wrong I have reservations about anything that is based out of Quebec. Kory gave this a lot of legitimacy and hope for non socialists to begin with but that disappeared. I will wait and see and also judge how it all comes out in the wash but I am not as elated as I once was. Hope it works out for us because we sure need it ( Canadians need it).
October 22, 2010 at 1:26 PM
The “baby” is killed in it’s crib by the usual soft totalitarian suspects…and is sadly predictable.
This is about how the ‘Laurentian consensus’; vestiges of the Family Compact who have been running Kanada likes it’s own private mink ranch and it’s MSM puppets; kills any chance of discourse that actually serves the people and collude to shape the news in favor of one political ideology.
Free Kanada!
October 22, 2010 at 1:29 PM
The Laurentian consensus – the shared assumptions of the liberal elites in the universities, bureaucracies, cultural institutions and even boardrooms of Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa.
October 22, 2010 at 5:46 PM
I’m thinking Krist is a hottie spy, the rest are either punching bags or clowns for comedic effect. Yeah, they better put some lead in the Sun TV pencil else it will so soft real fast.
October 23, 2010 at 5:14 PM
Perhaps this is merely insidious Liberal nuttiness creeping into Conservative minds.
The case of the alleged Conservative TV station is being pre-judged here as blindly and as automatically as the worst of the liberal ¨contributors¨ on the CBC website do for anything our Prime Minister says or does.
I think it would help distinguish ¨Conservative¨ thought from Liberal flakiness if we stuck with the facts rather than obsess over our worst fears.
I hope and expect that this TV station will present a fair and balanced political approach that actually will be tonic for those of us sickened by the crazed Liberal arrogance of the CBC and its familiars.